Improvement in artificial hands



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

J. F. MAGUIRE, OF EAST BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN ARTIFICIAL HANDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 56,427, dated J ulyL17, 1866.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. F. MAGUIRE, of East Boston, Suffolk county, State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Artificial Hands; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

The present invention consists in a novel manner of hanging the lingers and thumb to the palm portion of the hand, whereby they can be made to iirmly grasp and hold various articles, such as the handle of a hammer, a rope, a tumbler or other dri`nking-vessel, Src., and the fingers operated independent of .the thumb, as will be apparent from the following detail description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying plate of drawings, in which- Figure lis a view of the palm side of the artificial hand, showing the manner of fastening the hand to the arm; Fig. 2, a section through the artificial hand, taken in the direction of its length and in the plane of the line x fr, Fig. l; and Fig. 3, an inside view ot' the hand with the plate constituting the back of the hand removed.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

A in the drawings represents an artificial hand made according to the present invention; B, its palm; O, the back; D, the fingers, and V the thumb. The several fingers D are attached to or form a part of a common crosshead, F, hung and turning at each end in the outer portion or end, G, of the hand, in and between the palm and back of the same.

The cross-head F is provided with two parallel crank-arms, H, in and between which, turning upon a cross-pin, a, thereof, a loose sleeve, I, is hung, having an arm, J, to which one end, K, oi' a connecting-rod, L, is hung, having its other end hung to the short arm M of an angular lever, N, turning upon a fulcrum or center-pin, O, of the interior of the hand A. To the outer end, P, of the long arm Q of the angular lever N, above referred to, is hung the inner end of a slide-handle, R, passing outward through the hand casing, which handle has a slot, S, extending in the direction of its length,'and movingover a fixed pin, T, on the outside of the hand, having a thumb-nut screwed upon it, which nut, when brought to bear upon the said slide-hand R, firmly and securely holds it in whatever position it may be placed.

V is the thumb of the hand, hung and turning in the hand-casing at the proper point thereof with reference to the lingers, which thumb, through a spring-arm, IV, pivoted at one end to its inner end, X, and at its other to the handle-slide R, is connected to the said slide, as plainly shown in Figs. 2 and 8.

From the above description it is plain to be seen that if the slide R is pulled or drawn outward the fingers and thumb of the hand will be all swung down and toward the palm of the hand, the ends 0f the fingers entering apertures Y Y, made at the proper points in the same, where, by then screwing the thumbnut of such slide against the same, they can be iirmly secured and held, and that, furthermore, by moving the slide inward the fingers and thumb will be raised or brought into a vertical position, or thereabout, as plainly shown in Fig. 3, or to any inclination or position desired between a vertical direction and that in which they lie upon the palm, they being secured or held in any one of such positions by simply tightening the thumb-nut upon the slide. Thus it is obvious the fingers and thumb of the hand can be made to tightly grasp any article desired, and within their iit the end of the arm to which the artificial hand is to be applied, as shown in the drawings, Where it is held by means of a strap, c2, encircling and buckling about the arm, passing or sliding through loops D2 of the leather casing B2, which enables the said strap to' be adjusted upon the arm so as to feel easy and comfortable thereto.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. Connecting the fingers D of the hand to and with the slide R, having` thumb-nut U,

through angular lever-arm N, connecting-rod L, and cross-head F I, substantially as herein described7 and for the purpose specied.

2. In combination with the above, connecting the thumb V with the slide R through a spring-arm, IV, substantially as and for the purpose described.

JAMES F. MAGUIRE.

Witnesses:

PATRICK KEENAN, THOMAS RICE. 

